Day 33;  Tramadol ... Cold Turkey Withdrawal

Aghhh that tramadol just won't leave you huh? haha=p. I noticed that the drug thoughts are much more prevalent in bed which is why I slept on the couch for a week its definitely weird like that. I never had the headaches or sinus problems though. It was more of my lower body that gave me hell. terrible leg pain, nausea, and the occasional bad trip to the bathroom>__<

Dark Knight, yeah go see it first chance you get. I saw it on day 4 of my w/d and I still loved it and was super engaged the whole time. Takes your mind off the tram. Remember, the hard part is getting to the movie theatre, once your there you calm down alot and are able to enjoy yourself and you feel better after. If I were you I'd go with your husband I bet he's great emotional support and makes going out alot easier despite the anxiety=].

Lastly, Day 9 for me was a breeze again. I'm like 99% normal and the only symptoms now are occasional energy drips and very brief periods of depression. I'm sure they will go away soon=]

So sorry to her you're sick EmilyPost.  Take care of yourself.  Chicken soup's good for the soul and the body so good move there.  

OK ... Let's take a quick inventory just for fun Emily:  

      1.  Home,
      2.  Cats,
      3.  Chicken soup,
      4.  Understanding husband

Life is good EP!!  I know you know that -- but it's sometimes worth stating the obvious as a reminder.

I just read your comment, Emily, in response to mine on your Day 32 Journal.  I understand your being shocked at the Doctors comment.  So was I.  

I could not understand it at all until I researched a little further and found this entry in more than one manufacturer Drug Sheet:

    " At therapeutic doses withdrawal symptoms have
       been reported at a frequency of 1 in 8,000. Reports
      of dependence and abuse have been less frequent."

Given my misery during my last week of existence, this has to be at major contender for the greatest lie ever told.  

PLANCE:  Your father's response to your Tramadol addiction came to mind during this research / education.  The doctors are all reading the same trash press-release about the drug.  No wonder they don't know.

The data sheet and attachments went on to explain that a three month study was performed, but the low risk of dependency meant no long term study was conducted.

A THREE MONTH STUDY!!!  

Wow,  I'm pleased to hear they believe in an exhaustive study, aren't you?  Fact is, they have no frickin' idea what this drug will do.

As far as "report of dependency" goes, it’s an automatic "pass" for the drug companies.  Not many of us can just dial up the FDA and complain openly.  

I find I am growing angrier at this as my addition symptoms linger.  I will try and control it though.  I am a researcher by nature, and also a lot on the job.  I started tramadol after extensive dental work.  Now that I know more about the 'Devil's Pill', you could pull all my teeth with a pair of mechanic's pliers and I wouldn't take the Tramadol poison.  

I am so pleased I do not crave it.  I know some do.  I am so thankful.

By the way -- the Doctor reciting the stupid "acceptable losses" comment was my first cousin which in the south means automatic immunity, even when speaking like an uninformed Idiot (captial "I" on idiot intentional).  Otherwise the outcome may not have been so good.  

I still wonder if he bought the "my friend" approach, but I must admit I just couldn't pass the opportunity as it came at me unexpectedly like a slow pitch softball.  I had to give it a go.    What made it more worthwhile to me is that he is the reason I even know the color of the Ultram (tramadol) free sample blister pack.  This made engaging in the conversation even more tempting.

Secrecy however is important and I must remember this and be careful.  The smaller the town, the greater the need for it.  I sometimes crave the anonymity of a large city.

My final thought for the day:  "Even in withdrawal, life is still worth it."   Withdrawal or not, I am so happy to be where I am - 9 days down the path to recovery - and among friends.

Thunderstorm crossing the bay now cooling things off a bit this evening.  Nice soft roll and rumble.  I'll move onto the porch and into the swing to enjoy it.  

Thanks friends!

I found this blog through google and have been reading through it. I was on Tramadol for almost 3 years, and had been taking 350mg a day for quite a while. I cut down to 150mg a day last Friday, and then on Tues I went cold turkey. It's now very early Wed morning, so maybe this counts as day 2 for me, but I haven't been to sleep yet. I feel pretty miserable, chills, hot flashes, "sick sweat," nausea, exhaustion, anxiety, I could go on. For some reason I feel like I'm in a dream, like nothing is really real. My head is pounding and feels like it's about to explode. It's good to know that at least the worst of this will be over in about a week.

Good Morning Deserat Rose;

It's 3:46 am here, so I just woke up an hour ago, having passed out at about 10 PM. I saw your message and it'd Day 2 for you huh? (((nice gentle hugs)))  I understand what you are going thru. It's going to be so much better after Day 4 and so much better at Day 7. All of us here seem t agree that's pretty good as far as our experience is concerned.

Sleeping. There's two schools of thought. One is if you aren't on a Benzo (which are in the Thomas Detox) you can take something like Tylenol PM and it might help you sleep. There's just a straight up Benadryl (or its generic) to consider as well. The Benadryl is good to have around during detox because it will help the pain (how does it do that?) ... and it is what they use to counter act many bad medicine reactions. A warm bath might help as well.  If you have mineral salts, use them :)

The mineral salts I use are by Queen Helene Batherapy and are available plain or lavender. I used the lavender. There's Lithium Chloride in that. Very small amounts. It will make you a bit sleepy during early withdrawal. I used it like a scrub in the shower (cause I was too exhausted to take a bath. I just let it sit in my skin for 5-10 minutes in the hot steamy shower. It helped. This was discovered years ago when I had a car accident and my Chiropractor gave some to me. I have used it for insomnia. But listen, any mineral salt will work. Sea salts in a bath even work. Epsom salts work. The skin absorbs some of the minerals and it mellows us out right away. The lithium chloride will absorb thru the skin, so it isn't like you are taking it internally, or as a drug. That's quite different from using mineral salts externally.

Here's link to what the Queen Helene looks like; It is in all the big drugstores here and a 16 oz. is $5. As a thrifty aside, I buy every time I see it on discount. My husband uses it also, after his workouts or if he needs to soothe himself.

http://www.queenhelene.com//batherapylavender2.php

The salts are much better than the liquid.  The liquid never helped me.

I am LOL on the inside, cause you know now it is 4:11 am and I see it comes in a 20 gallon pail! If I could find that I bet I would buy it. I love that stuff. It's such a great natural cure for so many things. It is used in sports injuries all the time.

If you can take your vitamins with some food, that would help. If you are say; throwing up pills cause your stomach is still trashed, try EmergenC. I get that at Trader Joe's, and I put three packages into a 50 oz bottle of water. I try to drink 100-150 oz a day. Stomachs and intestine respond really well to yogurt, because of the good bacterium in yogurt that helps replenish your intestines of the "good bacterium" necessary for digestion. I have seen many stomach/intestine related complaints.

There's more things on the right hand side of the main page specifically in the lower right hand side of the page. Lots of great ideas there. Do what you can. I know you are exhausted and this page that you are reading might be moving or you might have trouble reading. If not so, Yay! If so, no worries, that happened to me. The Tramadol seemed to come out of everything. My skin, my ears, my eyes. I couldn't wear my lens for awhile, cause the eyes were first too dry, and then (sorry to get graphic) they got goo in them. Tramadol withdrawal is gross.  

Reassure yourself that it's all been done by people here, and we're still kicking it! We made t thru, minute by minute cause I know you are on Day 2, so just make it minute be minute. Try to breathe, not panic and get pissed off instead. Anger helps. Fear is bad. I mean it is present, and I wouldn't want to invalidate anyone emotions. But the most useful Advice I got was from Ex-Vets who know alot about the attitude you can use when withdrawing. It is the Enemy and the Enemy must die, and not you. It you versus the Tramadol. You may feel it is wiping the floor with you at the moment but it is just throwing everything it can at you immediate in a hock and Awe campaign .... It doesn't play fair, cause there's no rules in a War. Supposedly there are. My feeling (not having been in one is that there are no rules. Except one, fear will kill you and anger will make you proactive!

Tramadol was fast on its way to killing me, I believe. So I killed it.

If you can listen to music it helps alot. It took me awhile to get hearing without strange variations in it. My hearing was super sensitive and I couldn't listen to an iPod even. I think that was gone by Day 10? Or at least for me, it was on and off.

TramaPaul remarked that playing an instrument (guitar I bet since he's talking about fretting? But maybe it is Bass?) and also singing he said helps the bad drug thoughts go away.

Drink alot of fluids. I couldn't drink straight water for awhile, it hurt my stomach and made me nauseous. I added fruit juice to it and that helped.Keep in mind that the pseudo-opiate (which is an opiate and is a Narcotic ...hello!) ... is going to do what all opiates do when you withdraw from them. I was really comforted by looking up the symptoms of "Opiate Withdrawal." The thing that makes you have the crazy drug dreams and the bad bad dug voices is possibly the older than dirt antidepressant they mixed it with.

A heating pad laid across your belly will help the stomach cramps. They are coming for the miles and miles and miles of opiate receptors in your intestine. Which hate not having Tramadol, but in my mind. they needed to suck it up, cause I was done! SO I felt from Day 17-18 and a bit after that; that I had been stabbed, razor blade to intestines punched in the gut hard, Someone kneed me in the gut kinda feeling. That is now gone! YAY!

Deseret Rain I know that you are are in pain but hang on. When I got the insomnia big time, I used distraction technique. Light movies, petting an animal, looking on he Internet for Tramadol stories cause every one of those made ma feel better. Like i wasn't nits. I felt completely insane and also really really physically sick and weak. I knew that the drug voices were hot on my heels. SO I practiced a bit of mind control, I got angry. Getting angry; primitive emotions like Fear are in the Limbic Lobe, the deepest and oldest part of our brain. Fear isn't your friend at all in Tramadol withdrawal.

You write, "It's good to know that at least the worst of this will be over in about a week. \"

Yep. With each day getting better, 4 days in hell, 7 days, you'll be so much better. I never ever want to forget how much Days 1-4 hurt. I don't think I will. But that pain has given me complete revulsion from Tramadol cravings. I have none. NONE. Would rather open a box of rat poison and a box of plastic spoons in the center aisle of a grocery store, plop myself  down on the floor and eat that. LOL! Which is not going to happen.

It's goin to be ok. You will make it thru. It will just suck. Sometimes life ***** anyhow, so remind yourself of that. This is beyond your control  If you can have someone help you, all the better. If they think you have the flu, that's ok. If you don't want to tell anyone but us what you are doing it is ok. I actually think cold turkey mighta been less pain that a fast taper. Yours was a faster taper than mine.

You may feel like you will die. It is not true. The Tramadol loves to tell you, " You are going to die!" It is a lie. A trick to lure you back on the drug. Ignore you thoughts except the ones that are deeper, which say, "Get off this poison. others have done it. SO can you! See? They are getting better daily!" Focus on that. Being proactive (even if you need to write a list) and have a friend get the stuff you need it will help. Or there's always home delivery.

And plamp was probably right about sleeping on the sofa. That was brilliant.  I have no idea why that works, but it does.

Gonna post this now, cause i know you need to be reassured Deserat Rose.

Love and Healing,
Emily

(((more gentle hugs)))

Plamp, I seriously think the immune crash is linked to the Tramadol and that looking in the brighter side, this is it's time to leave. Fact is, it physically exhausted me and I was lucky to get some days off to rest and go thru taper pain and then the Cold Turkey. It's leaving. It's just fighting on it's way out. Zero bad drug thoughts yesterday and get this;

NO BACK PAIN. Minimal leg pain. I wish I could explain to you how amazing that is to me. I didn't even need and ice pack til I woke up a few hours back and that was due to the upper respiratory symptoms. I admit, I get freaked out when I can't breathe wall. I have had bronchitis and pneumonia and I get scared. I am calmer now. And warmer.

What woke me up was a coughing fit. I am concerned about work. I have a physical job, so getting an upper resperitory infection can lead to the scary pneumonia.

It's now better since i took some Antihistamine and got some ice and wrote to Dererat Rose.

SMART GUY! Sleeping on the couch! So smart and good! Yeah, now when I wake up ... I wanna get up asap. No bad drug thoughts.

I will get to see Dark Knight. I love the first movie so much! Husband hates movie theatres. So, maybe I will take a friend. Truth is he'd insist n gong with me! He's nice that way.

I agree that the hardest part is getting to the movie theatre. I think I developed some tramadol related social phobia during withdrawal. I leaves once I start to do ______.

I see the cold things as ... the last Hoorah of the Tramadol.

Love and healing 'O so Wise Plamp!
Emily

I am so happy to hear you are feeling better and occasional energy drips and depression are momentary. YAY!

Seeking better days I will now fall back asleep; and write at ya later gator! You sound good. I love what you wrote and wanna comment on it. Also glad to know you are a researcher by nature.

Thanks a lot for responding, it helps to have something to read about from someone who went through this. I still haven't been able to fall asleep...for some reason I'm totally convinced that if I fall asleep, murderers will break into the house and kill me, not sure if this is a normal withdraw symptom. I took some vitamin C and antihistamine that I had in the house, and it seems to have helped so thanks for that advice. Unfortunately I have no friends or family within a 100 mile radius so there isn't anyone to go out and get things for me. Maybe if I eventually manage to fall asleep, when I wake up I'll feel OK enough to drive to the store and get the other stuff you suggested. Right now going out of the house seems really daunting. I already had irritable bowel syndrome before this and now it feels 100xs worse in withdraw.

Deseret Rain,

All that stuff is normal. Sucky, but normal. I'd say you are having a pretty normal and horrifying day 2. Good news is, most people agree that day 2 and 3 are the worst. You are almost there. You will feel better soon. I wish you all the best.

TramaPaul

Thanks...I managed to sleep for 7 hours after taking a sleeping pill, which is better than I expected. When I was on the Tramadol, I was usually sleeping from 14-20 hours at a stretch.

DeseretRain,

TramaPual is right.  You're in the middle of the storm, but have better days ahend.  Way to go on the 7 hrs. sleep.  Judging from most, that's pretty good.  I'm only a week ahead of your and can really feel for what you're feeling.  ALL of us here know what the first days feel like.  "Sucky" says it best!  Good luck!  It's totally worth it.

SeekingBetterDays;

I liked your little Inventory!

It was very pleasant. And I agree that restating the obvious is a good reminder. And hey, it's Day 34!

You know I dig the research!

You write, "I could not understand it at all until I researched a little further and found this entry in more than one manufacturer Drug Sheet:

    " At therapeutic doses withdrawal symptoms have
       been reported at a frequency of 1 in 8,000. Reports
      of dependence and abuse have been less frequent."

Given my misery during my last week of existence, this has to be at major contender for the greatest lie ever told."

Well yeah. The Greatest Lie Ever Told. I think lying to people who are in pain about a medication and not knowing (how can they not know? Honestly?) that they are going to go visit Hell on Earth and MAYBE live to tell about it is an abomination.

Yes, An Abomination.

I mean we have A newbie (Hi again Deseret Rain!) here on Day 2-3 thinking if she falls asleep people are going to come in and murder her. And it's a normal withdrawal symptom.  How crazy is that!? I remember the Fear of Humans. When someone knocked, I hid. When someone called, I didn't answer.  It was completely weird. The first time I went out it was only for supplies and only cause of desperation and I wore sunglasses because the light was making my brain feel like someone was stabbing it with an ice pick. So ... yeah.

And there's also the FACT that despite everything I am 34 days out and ALMOST NO BACK PAIN. I can't even believe I am writing this, but it is true. The Sciatica which before made me want to rip off my entire right leg? It's vanished. I feel that the nerve there is a bit raw, but nothing like the leg giving out, or burning searing drop to yer knees scale of 9 Pain!

So it was not only poisoning me, it was making me believe there was injury when in fact the injury seems to have healed substantially.

It makes me terribly angry.

1 in 8000?

See there's a BIG difference in the word "dependence" versus the word "addiction."  I noticed straight away they use the word "Dependence." The DEA doesn't care about the word "Dependence" but they care about the word, "Addiction." Notice they steer FAR clear of the word Addiction. A human body doesn't know the difference between the words as far as physicality is concerned.

An addict craves the drug. But then again a person who has been made dependant may also KNOW that if they take the drug, the withdrawal pain will stop. So with Tramadol you walk a line that is not straight forward. Do you understand?

Our young wise friend Plamp got "dependant" in six weeks.

That is INSANE!

It's unacceptable!

A three month study? Just ... sickening. Really literally sickening.

You write, "I am a researcher by nature, and also a lot on the job.  I started Tramadol after extensive dental work.  Now that I know more about the 'Devil's Pill', you could pull all my teeth with a pair of mechanic's pliers and I wouldn't take the Tramadol poison."

I can't believe they gave you Tramadol instead of Vicodin or Percoset. Is it because you wanted to avoid all the "Narcotics?" Or were you even given a choice?

To think what could have happened to me if I bothered listening to Doctors. I'd probably be on Surgery #3 at least by now. Luckily, me, I don't hear so well when Doctors say things like, "You're doomed to surgery and disability." I do things like lose 60 pounds and get in really good shape instead. I'm not very compliant. LOL! In the best way.

You also write, "I am so pleased I do not crave it.  I know some do.  I am so thankful."

I am thankful too! I have NO Cravings at all for it. It's repulsive to think about taking it ever again. Truly.

"Acceptable Losses." God!!! Do they even HEAR the words? These are human beings we're talking about.  I do understand about your first cousin and I agree that small towns you must be careful in. I have lived in small towns myself.

Your final thought is completely true "Even in Withdrawal, life is still worth it."

We are amongst friend who understand and that is good!

Love and Healing,
Emily

Deseret Rain I am SO glad you slept some. It is normal what you are experiencing. The pain won't kill you, use everything you know to distract yourself. If you have a couch, set up your bed there like Plamp talks about. TramaPaul was correct. It is normal and unpleasant early withdrawal. We have all been there and we're all still here!

my doc suggested tramadol dose pack and i said no- i was afraid of the steriods- and it intrtacting with my thyroid- so glad i said no- i am going to get epidural shot though- hurts to sleep, stand, walk, sit live!!!!

(((jetgirlmary)))


So sorry it hurts! What injiry do you have? I've taken steroids twice to bring down flare ups which I now think were caused by tramadol!

We're here for ya!

Love and healing,
Emily

Dear "your a total liar",

First I'm betting you're not a total lier as your name implies.

However, I'm not sure what drug demons are chasing you right now to make you say such things and feel sorry for you.  I hope you find your way to a better frame of mind.

You are right about MH, they don't sit around looking for abusive comments like yours.  Others reading the blog report them and they adcted upon and, if warranted, removed.  Often, it has nothing to to with the jounal owner.  

I just wanted to make certain you knew  -- for whatever benefit and comfort it may be -- the owner of the journal may not even see it before it is gone.

Best wishes for recovery and everything else you wish.

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This I guess would be my second day. I have been taking stupid tramodol for almost 3 years..maybe 6 to 9 a day. I am a single dad, with 2 girls....have a good job....basically I ran out of the meds,,have one left and did not take it yesterday...did not sleep last night...I am scared to death,,,especially after reading all the post...if I lose my job, I lose my kids,,everything... I feel yucky ,,,been about 24 hours since I had anything...No appetite...depressed....NO energy to get to the damn store...I want to stop this nonsense, just like you guys,,im sitting here,,feeling yucky,,,having horrible thoughts...

after reading your stuff Emily..looks like you have been clean for many weeks ans still feel like ****...how did you keep your life together while getting this far? I cant imagine how much worse I am going to feel by Monday Morning, when its time to go to work..I simply cant take off...

I want rid of this stupid problem, but cant imagine life without it,,,and cant fathom making it a month and being able to function..

any advice??

thanks
Rob

Hi Rob,

Yep. The only way to get rid of the stupid problem isto go off tramadol. It is horrible, but in the scheme of things, it is a BLINK of an eye.Comapred to the 4-5years i was using it FOR back pain!? ...

No it's not at all true Rob. I did NOT have 30 solid unrelenting days of misery. Every single day I noticed improvement. Sometimes I would take a step back. But afetr Day 4? I knew I wold be OFF it forever!

I don't feel bad. TODAY; 95%of theTramadoleffects ... gone. Today I attendeda 12 hour long seminar for work. No joke.

It just crashed my immune systemat the end, but I didn't get Pneumonia. Just Bronchitis. I was out of work for three days this week  ...sheerly to avoid getting pneumonia. Priority is NOT my job it is to A. Stay Clean and B. Not Die from Pneumonia.

But I don't expect everyone would have an immune crash. I am only able to tell youw hat happened to me.

Everyone is different. Yes,  the first 4 days are very bad.By Day 7 I felt like i was going to live. By Daty 10, I felt human-ish.

I was back at work by Day 11. I did a fast taper AKA "Letting the pills run out."  That caused me some withdrawal symptoms.

Being scared is natural ,but I urge you to use the Fear and transfer it into anger against the addiction itself, or the substance. It's trying to make you Dead. If it has turned on you, it is making you ill. Anger is powerful and proactive.

I kept my life together one day at a time.

Tramadol was GOING TO KILL ME.

Today, no back pain, no leg pain. No tramadaol. After YEARS of unbearable pain, the more I took, the worse it got.

MIRACLE of epic proportions. Loaves and fishes!!

The funcution gets better every day. If you read carefully you will see that. Iimmediately stopped feeling suicidal ideation and immediately got less back and leg pain.I had a few falre ups ofback pain ...but that's the tramadol  trying to get me to take one.

Fear is useless in a War. Don't become confused.  Tramadol will declare and has declared War on you. Feear will get you dead.

A PLAN of action will save you.

Hopoefully you will feel well enough to get to the store on Day 3!

Wishing you love and healing,
Emily

Will write more soon, I promise ... But honestly ...very very very very few Tramadol Symptoms. Today the Bronchitis turned around ... I won't get pneumonia. I believe it was the last of the cra-P Tramadol leaving my system. It is common in Recovery and Sobriety to get an immune challenge ,,,

More later ...

I think this is Day 36?

I still and always will remember Days 1-4. They were horrible. But I lived. And you will too. Soberity is worth ANYTHING. I spent today at a 12 hour long seminar that I could NOT get out of. With the end part of bronchitis .... I was tired, but not immobile. No bad drug voices ...  It gets BETTER! Just do today. Just do the next 5 minutes.

Do read the Thomas Detox, do get the vitamins and Amino...I had to make lists! LOL cause I would NOT have remembered!

thanks emily.....im still horrified,,,I not only have to go shopping for the kids,,I have to be at work in the AM,,and that would be day 3 or hell day 4 I guess...you have NO idea how much just reading your stuff helps...I did actually sleep last night,,,but the depression, fear, fatigue,,,,no appetitte is HERE!

sorry to soud stupid, but what or where can I find that "Thomas Detox" thing..?

PS: Emily, BE Thankfull you had/have a support system....yes I do care more about life than my job...to an extent,,,because without the job...my kids are doomed,,,single dad...nowhere for them to go and that is what kills me the most...I know I sound pathetic,,,,would probably go down and buy a bottle of the trams right now if it were possible...but its really not...yeah yeah I could fake a cold at work for a week, and by friday, probably have another 180 count internet supply delevered....but its expensive,,,and like all of you,,I need a way out,,,and I need it with bascially NO wifey, or money support system to simply go to bed for 7 to 10 days...anyway,,,I did get the vitamins....made it to the grocery store, just got home,,,had to get food for the little ones...otherwise I mat have just gone another sleepness night and day with trying to be able to eat enough food to keep a bird alive!

your a sweety
thanks
Rob

Hello im a 32 yr old single mom and ive been taking tramadol for 10months now,and i just knoew this drug was the devil im on day2 of cold turkey,and boy oh boy i truly feel like im going to lose it im in so much misery,i think its worse than haviing a kid!!!!does it matter ur dosage,on thats how long it will take u to get of?I was taking 10-15 pills of 50 mils a day i was truly leading to death,im not going to quite...plz someone get bk to me soon. JAY.

Hi Jay!

Day 2?  (((gentle hugs and lots of love vibes at ya))) I've been there.

Yeah. Good job on getting to day 2!  Yes, Tramadol is the devil's pill. You think it's worse than having a kid huh? I've never had a baby, but I know that several people have comapred getting off as worse than getting off cocaone and booze. I would say it was more intense than coming off any of the benzos, for me. Everyone is different.

There's alot that can help. A sublingual B-12 tablet. Lots of water (tramadol leaves first thru the kidney thus the urine) ... if you can put EmergenC or a liquid vitamin that can work well. Look on the lower right hand side of the page, there's something called the "Thomas Recipe." Aka The Thomas Detox. It helps ALOT. There's vitamin and mineral and amino suggestions there. There's tonnnsss of tips thru this whole journal and anyone who has been on Tramadol can help you out. You know; withdrawal is withdrawal ..... so anypne can help you here!

You aren't going to lose it. It's the drug talking, trying to get you to take more so you'll be back on it.

You aren't going to die, that's the drug talking. It feels like death, but it is actually death to STAY on the PILLS when you know they are killing you,

The dose you were taking was large, and you were on it long enough to make you physically dependant. Thus the withdrawal. Only you know if you were addicted or have an addictive personality. That matters if you are craving them. I used repulsion techniques and frankly the first 4 days were so bad, I will never ever take one again. I'd rather eat rat poison.

Vitamins, water, protein ... distract yourself. You're gonna take a bit of a ride, but it will be over eventually

Come on over to the Day 38 journal also ... I know you will get tons of help.

It's going to be ok. You're just in the eye of the storm.

Cold turkey is supposed to be rough, the tapering is more popular, seizure risk and so on but you're on Day 2 ... With the amount you were taking, it's I think less likely after 48 hours out and off the tramadol.

Love and healing,
Emily

SO glad you are here!

Jay

Im on day 3,,and probably dont feel much better....the biggest suck part for me is the insomnia...i can take 6 sleeping pills and still maybe sleep 2 hours at night....unfortunatly,,I have NO support system,,,and I have 2 children (love em more than life),,,it is very hard to not let them know whats going on,,I feel like hammered ****...if I dont go to work,,im doomed,,I did go today,,,faking a bad cold.....im home now,,,but barely enough energy to write this,,im praying I get some slep tonight...I guess for only being on day 3...making my 8 hour work day is a small accomplishment...hopefully I can make the damn week...I was taking anout 6 t0 8 a day for 3 years...enough is enough....sick of spending the money,,,worring about running out....started with a bad back just like emily...and just like her,,I have had no back pain for 3 days...but the withdrawels are VERY draining....ive been told it hon estly takes about 6 months to a year to completely be totally done.....I feel yuck right now,,,but I am functioning,,,and emilys right,,im not going to die from stopping damn tramashits....hang in there,,its a fight from hell for me,,but I am going to fire my entire aresanel to whip this damn problem,,,,im hoping I can come in on nabout day 15 and say "day 15"....anyway,,,good luck and THANK YOU EMILY as well

keep posting!

Rob

Rob writes; "...started with a bad back just like emily...and just like her,,I have had no back pain for 3 days...but the withdrawals are VERY draining..."

Yeah, The lack of BACK PAIN makes me A. Happy ver very very happy and ...  B.  Makes me realize that Tramadol WAS THE CAUSE of the "Chronic Back Pain." Which highly educated Doctors told me needed surgical correction and ... well ...

It makes me so ANGRY that I wanna take off one shoe and run in a circle screaming!!!

Not sure what that would accomplish but still ... my honest thoughts on a drugs that makes back pain worse ... and creates chronic pain patients .... Oh and makes people CRAZY ...

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Four days. It'll get so much better! I promise!

PS: another thing that *****,,I suppose I could delete the ****,,,but for mental reasons I think I need to know I COULD get some more trams if I had to,,,,where I am going with this is ,,in my inbox is at least 20 emails titled "time to refill your prescription...I could have 180 of em on my doorstep in 2 days.....so tempting...but on the other hand,,,end of the month and I am basically broke,,,so maybe thats a good thing,,,my kids food and well being come before tramodols...and my other nasty habit I spend way too much of our money on is f/n ciggs.....actually spend more on them than the pills...but one thing at a time,,,the rest of 08 is going to be drug and nicotine free if I can pull it off,,,hell,,about 5to 700 a month more money to spend on something worthwhile? How the hell did I ever get in this mess..wouldnt it be a nice Christmas to be totally craving free of all this money wasting **** that is killing us??

also, emily,,do you smoke?

thanks
Rob

Rob, I don't smoke. Never have, but I know plenty of people who do and have.

I am a recovered food addict. They have a 2% success rate, 5 times less than the success rate on crack.

I actually lost 60 pounds FOR the back injury and then couldn't figiure out why the back was still hurting. I'll tell ya why; TRAMADOL!

One day and one substance at a time. I am on Klonopin for anxiety. But I have to tell you ... since I stopped the Tramadol the need for Klonopin is sharply decreasing. I just don't have the physical pain into anxiety cycle happening anymore. So, like you ... one thing at a time ....

And yes, it will be a reallllllly nice Christmas! NO BACK PAIN!!! No money wasted on pills .... no Doctors saying, "Well we can give you some steroids and a tanquilizer?" ....

ACK!!!

Makes me very angry .....

In a way, Rob, the girls you love, your daughters, are pretty strong motivation to stay off the tramadol and make it to day 4. Which is when it will get so much better! I haven't ever heard of anyone saying that Recovery Withdrawal Symptoms last more than 90 days. Maybe your first year of Sobriety is a marker ... But I will say I got ill at around day 30 ... coulda been fat cells detoxomg. Just a guess.

Love and healing,
Emily

hello again emily

I gusee since we are baring our soles here....my tramy started 3 years ago when I kicked a 4 year BAD BAD vicoden habit,,talking about  waste,,,,,1200 A MONTH FOR MAYBE 4 YEARS.......FELT GOOD WHILE I had em,,BUT MY GOD what a habit to kill,,,,,I DID NOT feel very good for almost 7 or 8 months,,,,,,,the tramys the doc said would help,,,,well,,hell,,,compared to 7 1000 mlg vicodens a day? not hardley,,,long story short,,I was so proud for killing the hydro habit,,,,and it wasnt till about 2 years later (on tramys) I finally found out they were pretty damn addictive......I am hoing it doesnt take 8 months to a year like with the vics,,,ive been off them for 3 years....now its trams,,,anyway,,,just so you know,,,I did (sort of) defeat one bad *** pill,,,and have no desire for a hydro for years...

thanks for the help sweety